Gas release devices



P. V. WILSON GAS RELEASE DEVICES Filed Aug. 11, 1959 Jan; 2, 1962 Patented Jan. 2, 1962 3,015,414 GAS RELEASE DEVICES Paul Vernon Wilson, London, England, assignor to The Walter Kidde Company Limited, Greenford, Middlesex, England, a British company Filed Aug. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 832,989 2 Claims. (Cl. 2225) The present invention relates to apparatus for inflating life-jackets and other inflation bags and in particular it relates to an infiator which is adapted to release gas from a storage container automatically when the inflator is immersed in water.

An infiator of this kind, in which the release of gas is effected by means of a striker pin which pierces a sealed container under the influence of a spring, is described in British Patent No. 792,381 and in the corresponding United States Patent No. 2,894,658. The striker pin in this construction is normally held clear of the seal by a soluble plug trapped between an abutment on the striker pin and an abutment on the body, so that the soluble plug is always subjected to the full compression load of the spring which actuates the striker pin.

it has been found in practice that such an inflator is prone to inadvertent operation if subjected to rough handling, by reason of the fracturing or crushing of the soluble plug under the fairly high spring loading necessarily imposed on the striker pin. Since one of the main uses of an inflator of this type is in lifejackets to be worn by lumbermen working on log jams, it will be appreciated that an infiator of the present type must be constructed to withstand rough usage.

It is now found that the incidence of inadvertent operation in inflators of the type which are activated by the disintegration of a soluble element may be much reduced if a soluble element is used to retain a spring-loaded lock member, which in turn retains a spring-loaded containeropening member, such as a striker pin. It is found, in practice, that the spring load required to Withdraw the lock member is much less than the essential spring load on the contained-opening member and, in consequence, the tendency of the soluble element to fracture or crush in use is much less.

According to the present invention an infiator device of the type which is adapted to release gas automatically from a storage container on immersion in water comprises a body, a spring-loaded storage container-opening member guided for longitudinal movement in said body, locking means for holding said container-opening member in a cocked position, spring means urging said locking means in a direction releasing said member for movement from the cocked position in the container-opening direction and a soluble plug positioned in said body and acting as a stop preventing movement of said locking means, said soluble plug being positioned in said body for access by water in the event of immersion of said body.

One construction of infiator made in accordance with the present invention is hereinafter described with reference to'the accompanying drawing which shows a longitudinal section of an infiator. e

The infiator comprises a body 1, having a threaded socket 2 adapted to receive the threaded neck of a small gas container. The gas released from the container is fed to an inflatable lifejacket through a passages in a boss 4, on which a coupling nut 5 is rotatably secured.

The inflator shown in the present instance is intended to release gas by rupturing a seal and the seal is broken by a striker pin 6, which could be replaced by some other appropriate member if a different form of gas capsule were used. The striker pin 6 is carried in the end of a plunger 7, which is guided in the body in a seat member 8 and a spring retainer 9, secured in the body #1 by a screw 10.

The release spindle is urged in the seal rupturing direction by means of a compression spring 111 trapped between the spring retainer 9 and a thrust Washer 12 carried on the plunger 7. To provide the necessary force for rupturing the seal, the spring 11 requires about a forty pound loading. The plunger 7 is held in a cocked position by a ball and pin release system comprising a locking spindle 1'4 guided in the plunger and acting to hold apart three balls 15, which project from holes 16 in the plunger and engage against a tapered seat 17 in the seat member *8. It will be appreciated that when the spindle 14 is withdrawn from its position between them, the balls 15 will be forced inwardly under the combined action of the spring 11 and the tapered seat 17 and the striker pin 6 will be propelled in the seal rupturing direction.

The plunger 7 and striker pin 6 are controlled by a soluble plug 18, which prevents the spindle 14 from being withdrawn from its position between the balls 15.

A cover 19 is secured to the top end of the body 1 and this is provided with apertures 20 and a perforated cover plate 21 to provide access for water into the space within the cover.

The cover plate 21 acts as a support for the soluble plug, which in turn acts as a stop for the release spindle 14, the upper end of which carries a cup member 22, which engages the soluble plug 18 and acts as an abutment for a spring 23.

The spring 23 has to be loaded only sufiiciently to ensure that the spindle 14 is withdrawn as soon as the soluble plug disintegrates on immersion in water. It is found that a spring loading of about 2 /2 lbs. is sufiicient for this purpose although the actuation time can be reduced by increasing the spring thrust to between 5 and 10 lbs. In consequence, the crushing load imposed on the soluble plug is much reduced as compared with that imposed in the infiator described in British Patent No. 792,381. As a result, the new inflator provided by the present invention is much less liable to inadvertent operation.

It is well-known to hold gas within a container by means of a check member held against a seating by means of the pressure of the gas within the container. The present invention may be applied to the release of gas from a container of this kind. The only modification required to the device above described is a reshaping of the end of the plunger 6 to enable it to unseat the check member and the selection of a spring 11 of the correct value for the purpose. In this type of construction the container may be integral with a part of the body of the infiator.

I claim:

1. An inflator device for automatically releasing gas from a storage container upon immersion in water comprising a body, a storage container opening member guided for longitudinal movement in said body having an axial bore and a radial aperture intersecting said bore, a spindle guided for longitudinal movement in said bore, a seating surface in said body adjacent said aperture, spring means urging said member downwardly, a ball in said aperture, said ball being held by said spindle in a projecting position in engagement with said seat surface to lock said member against downward movement when, said spindle is in a downwardly displaced position, second spring means urging said spindle to move upwardly out of contact with said ball to allow said ball to move out of engagement with said seat unlocking said member, an abutment in said body above said spindle, a soluble plug positioned between said abutment and said spindle preventing upward movement of said spindle, and passageway means in said body for permitting the access of water to said plug in the event of immersion of said body.

3 4 2. An inflator according to claim 1, wherein said abut- 2,192,450 Miller Mar. 5, 1940 ment includes a perforated end plate of said body. 2,722,342 Fox Nov. 1, 1955 2,752,615 Parker July 3, 1956 References Cried 1n the file of thls patent 2,786,599 Higbee Mar. 26, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 2,821,725 Harper Feb. 4, 1958 1,117,639 Cooey Nov. 17, 1914 

